Obesity: a growing issue for European policy?

Abstract

In Europe, concerns about obesity have been stimulated by trends in several member states, raising challenges for multilevel governance. This paper gives a picture of obesity in Europe, pointing to variations between and within countries. It discusses the various explanations of generalized weight gain, and the policy levers that might tackle it, the paper also maps current policy responses. Policy considerations raised include financial burdens, health-care management, social inequalities, cultural issues, welfare support, and farm and food industry drivers. The paper proposes that obesity is unlikely to be reduced unless it receives both multi-level and multi-field analysis and intervention. In this context, action in Europe is hampered by a fragmented institutional architecture at all levels of governance. It also raises serious questions about the unequal relations between the state, the market and civil society within Europe. The paper concludes with a suggestion that obesity warrants improved European linkages across discrete areas of policy.